1) sleep deprivation from our job results in those deficits quite often
2) the mental health you’ll from out jobs can contribute
Conclusion: do a sleep study, find a counselor (through your employer’s employee assistance program)
I would say I’m in a decent headspace and have good coping mechanisms in place. I definitely do see a huge change in my sleep pattern, recently I’m lucky to get 3 hours in without tossing around.
Also, get your testosterone tested. A lot of your symptoms can be explained by low T. It's a common problem in this job due to stress, sleep deprivation, and poor diets at the station.
I would follow up with a doctor and get a proper diagnosis before telling management about any of it.
Another poster mentioned sleep, that could be it if your ct scan is clear. I was diagnosed with shift work sleep disorder after years of getting my ass kicked on the ambo. My sleep specialist prescribes a daytime pill for wakefulness that has helped a ton
how did you find that? like many first responders i’m an ADHD’r thru n thru, low dose stimulants treat but i could honestly and do sleep on 5-10mg methylphenidate
It was really the first recommendation by my sleep doctor. I didn’t even know what it was but was having problems falling asleep at 10am on shift even after drinking coffee lol
GoodRX is what he uses, too. He said that if you go to the website for GoodRX it’ll tell you what places you can go to for whatever drug you need…. He looked it up on their website. $1437 for a month and it comes to $27 with GoodRX. The site will tell you the costs at each store.
What does your home/work balance look like? I was seriously overworking myself for a long time and finally took a break where I just focused on me and cleaning up my home environment. I experienced a lot of the same symptoms you are going through (still am in some areas), but since taking the time to focus on myself it has improved a lot.
Things to look at:
Is your home environment clean and welcoming?
Do you socialize?
Do you eat healthy and exercise?
Do you separate work from home?
Do you have a routine when you get home or do you just crash?
Do you have a hobby that keeps you mentally active that isn’t about fire or ems?
I’m no expert or anything, but over saturation of the job can just put you in a rut and doesn’t give you the variety of experiences a person needs.
Edit: Like people have been saying as well: Get a medical assessment, doesn’t hurt to get a baseline.
I would definitely say I need a LOT of work in the sleep department, it’s a miracle if I get a full nights sleep. I usually find myself tossing and turning and ending up with 3-5 hours total of sleep. Other than sleep it’s pretty normal
This is a quote I found: ‘Studies have shown that going too long without sleep can impair your ability to drive the same way as drinking too much alcohol. Being awake for at least 18 hours is the same as someone having a blood content (BAC) of 0.05%. Being awake for at least 24 hours is equal to having a blood alcohol content of 0.10%.’
I think you should talk to your doctor and get all the tests you can done, before you bring anything up to your command. Once you have an idea what is going on, then you can do the research and have a much better idea what to expect from your department, once command knows. If you are fortunate (and I hope you are) you may even find out it's something that can be taken care of, or controlled, and you may need not even risk endangering your job over it.
When was the last time you took a vacation? For the longest time I didn’t take off and started to become a liability took off for a whole month and came back like a new man. I didn’t even go away the whole month I spent a week down the shore and the other 3 weeks I spent relaxing at home and spending time with my family.
Well I did- but all my blood tests showed I was perfect. Kept getting worse and worse… kept testing my blood… nothing. Went to tons of different doctors. It wasn’t until like 8 months until I REALLY felt like garbage and could barely stand that my bloodwork showed something.
I over came it because it was a fairly simple and easy treatment to clean my kidneys out. Just needed to identify the problem really. They healed on their own.
That’s great to hear man. What was wrong with your urine if you don’t mind me asking, was the color off? A lot of bubbles? My family had a history of kidney disease so I’m always on the alert. I take creatine and protein and pound water up the ass to mitigate the damage. Thanks again
So it was dark. Meaning there was blood in it.
It was also pretty bubbly meaning I was leaking ALOT of proteins that kidneys are supposed to keep in. very frequent urination as well.
If you’re concerned about it, I would be cautious of supplements tbh. Specially with a family history. My doctor told me if you’re not specifically deficient in something, don’t take extra. With the exceptions of daily multivitamins. It’s just added stress on your kidneys. There’s a lot of natural things you can eat that are kidney healthy and not powder. Apple.. cranberry… blueberry… that’s the best way to keep them healthy. I’m only 30 and it happened to me 🤷🏻♂️
I, in no way was asking for medical advice. I am asking for advice on what to tell my officers. I don’t go on Reddit for medical advice. Thanks for your incorrect input though.
Tell them what’s been going on and go from there, I just don’t want to do that yet cause I’m not sure what would be done. I came here to see the best course of action.
I’d definitely bring it up since you’re concerned with being a liability. From a supervisors point of view, I’d be worried to have you on my truck. Maybe go on light duty while figuring out your current problem. Hopefully it’s nothing major and you get back to a truck.
I’m not sure if anyone has noticed completely but I’ve had a few guys asking “you good?” after some things I was doing or just hanging around in general. We have a pretty good group of supervisors here at my department I can speak with however I was trying to think of ways to loop them in without it causing major issues on my behalf. I wouldn’t say I have sleep apnea, at most I would say I’m showing more of insomnia more than anything, I can lay down and not fall asleep for 2 hours while tossing and turning. My sleep has definitely been an issue for the past few months. I would say the most I’ve slept in the last few is probably 6 hours at most.
Get blood tests done. Get your test checked also. You may have an electrolyte imbalance or hormone imbalance.
Once your results are in ask to have a copy. Don’t just take the doctors word that “you’re within range” cause you could be on the low end of that range.
Normal Testosterone ranges from like 300-1000. If you’re at 300 you’re gonna be feeling like shit.
My test was at 350 at one time and the doctor told me im fine. Like bro no im not
1) sleep deprivation from our job results in those deficits quite often 2) the mental health you’ll from out jobs can contribute Conclusion: do a sleep study, find a counselor (through your employer’s employee assistance program)
I would say I’m in a decent headspace and have good coping mechanisms in place. I definitely do see a huge change in my sleep pattern, recently I’m lucky to get 3 hours in without tossing around.
Also, get your testosterone tested. A lot of your symptoms can be explained by low T. It's a common problem in this job due to stress, sleep deprivation, and poor diets at the station.
Had mine tested. Now Im on a gel. Levels are right where my doctor wants them, and I sleep much better, which affects my demeanor and mood.
Hell yeah. Glad you were treated and found improvement.
Do both anyway
Get tested for Lyme. If there’s even one positive band, insist on being treated or find a Lyme literate doctor.
I would follow up with a doctor and get a proper diagnosis before telling management about any of it. Another poster mentioned sleep, that could be it if your ct scan is clear. I was diagnosed with shift work sleep disorder after years of getting my ass kicked on the ambo. My sleep specialist prescribes a daytime pill for wakefulness that has helped a ton
modafinil? 🧐
Yessir
how did you find that? like many first responders i’m an ADHD’r thru n thru, low dose stimulants treat but i could honestly and do sleep on 5-10mg methylphenidate
It was really the first recommendation by my sleep doctor. I didn’t even know what it was but was having problems falling asleep at 10am on shift even after drinking coffee lol
Life changing. Insurance sucks.
My hubby uses a discount card the pharmacy gave him, it ends up being cheaper than insurance.
Mind sharing what the program is? My insurance stopped covering it so it's like $800 a month now.
Good Rx. Still shocked when people don't know about it.
You can just buy it online. Shipped from India for close to $1 a pill if you buy a year’s supply.
GoodRX is what he uses, too. He said that if you go to the website for GoodRX it’ll tell you what places you can go to for whatever drug you need…. He looked it up on their website. $1437 for a month and it comes to $27 with GoodRX. The site will tell you the costs at each store.
I’ll have to check into that
Shift work sleep disorder here as well, prescribed modafinil.
In nj you can get free all day checkup as a first responder. There is a waitlist but they try figure out it and make a plan to address it.
What does your home/work balance look like? I was seriously overworking myself for a long time and finally took a break where I just focused on me and cleaning up my home environment. I experienced a lot of the same symptoms you are going through (still am in some areas), but since taking the time to focus on myself it has improved a lot. Things to look at: Is your home environment clean and welcoming? Do you socialize? Do you eat healthy and exercise? Do you separate work from home? Do you have a routine when you get home or do you just crash? Do you have a hobby that keeps you mentally active that isn’t about fire or ems? I’m no expert or anything, but over saturation of the job can just put you in a rut and doesn’t give you the variety of experiences a person needs. Edit: Like people have been saying as well: Get a medical assessment, doesn’t hurt to get a baseline.
I would definitely say I need a LOT of work in the sleep department, it’s a miracle if I get a full nights sleep. I usually find myself tossing and turning and ending up with 3-5 hours total of sleep. Other than sleep it’s pretty normal
This is a quote I found: ‘Studies have shown that going too long without sleep can impair your ability to drive the same way as drinking too much alcohol. Being awake for at least 18 hours is the same as someone having a blood content (BAC) of 0.05%. Being awake for at least 24 hours is equal to having a blood alcohol content of 0.10%.’
You literally are suffering from sleep deprivation.
Glycine supplementation can help you sleep without waking up groggy. I don’t recommend using it on duty though.
I just take a Benedryl before bed. It doesn't hinder me at all if we get a call at 2am.
I think you should talk to your doctor and get all the tests you can done, before you bring anything up to your command. Once you have an idea what is going on, then you can do the research and have a much better idea what to expect from your department, once command knows. If you are fortunate (and I hope you are) you may even find out it's something that can be taken care of, or controlled, and you may need not even risk endangering your job over it.
I would echo and hold off on any management or department related stuff until you get a better grasp of what’s happening from a medical professional
Have your hormone levels checked, for real.
Start out assuming this is work related and work back from there.
When was the last time you took a vacation? For the longest time I didn’t take off and started to become a liability took off for a whole month and came back like a new man. I didn’t even go away the whole month I spent a week down the shore and the other 3 weeks I spent relaxing at home and spending time with my family.
Haven’t had a real vacation since 2015, long overdue
You work constantly and you don’t sleep much. This is what is happening to you.
Bloodwork will tell you what’s up. I was feeling the same way for months. Turns out my kidneys were struggling.
I had an issue about a month ago and ended up having rhabdo. My CK was like 800 so definitely likely. I’ll look into that again.
Waoh. Yea man don’t put it off. Talk to a doctor and get bloodwork done asap. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks because I thought I was just sick
How’d you over come that? Did you notice anything wrong with your urine??
Well I did- but all my blood tests showed I was perfect. Kept getting worse and worse… kept testing my blood… nothing. Went to tons of different doctors. It wasn’t until like 8 months until I REALLY felt like garbage and could barely stand that my bloodwork showed something. I over came it because it was a fairly simple and easy treatment to clean my kidneys out. Just needed to identify the problem really. They healed on their own.
That’s great to hear man. What was wrong with your urine if you don’t mind me asking, was the color off? A lot of bubbles? My family had a history of kidney disease so I’m always on the alert. I take creatine and protein and pound water up the ass to mitigate the damage. Thanks again
So it was dark. Meaning there was blood in it. It was also pretty bubbly meaning I was leaking ALOT of proteins that kidneys are supposed to keep in. very frequent urination as well. If you’re concerned about it, I would be cautious of supplements tbh. Specially with a family history. My doctor told me if you’re not specifically deficient in something, don’t take extra. With the exceptions of daily multivitamins. It’s just added stress on your kidneys. There’s a lot of natural things you can eat that are kidney healthy and not powder. Apple.. cranberry… blueberry… that’s the best way to keep them healthy. I’m only 30 and it happened to me 🤷🏻♂️
Do you drink?
Get your thyroid checked out
Maybe you should see a physician instead of seeking what is essentially medical advice from a Reddit sub.
I, in no way was asking for medical advice. I am asking for advice on what to tell my officers. I don’t go on Reddit for medical advice. Thanks for your incorrect input though.
But how to do you tell them when you don't know what's going on?
Tell them what’s been going on and go from there, I just don’t want to do that yet cause I’m not sure what would be done. I came here to see the best course of action.
Could be any number of things (Lyme disease, M.E., parasites). Don’t trust Reddit.
I’d definitely bring it up since you’re concerned with being a liability. From a supervisors point of view, I’d be worried to have you on my truck. Maybe go on light duty while figuring out your current problem. Hopefully it’s nothing major and you get back to a truck.
It sounds like you could also have a hormone imbalance. Worth looking into.
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I’m not sure if anyone has noticed completely but I’ve had a few guys asking “you good?” after some things I was doing or just hanging around in general. We have a pretty good group of supervisors here at my department I can speak with however I was trying to think of ways to loop them in without it causing major issues on my behalf. I wouldn’t say I have sleep apnea, at most I would say I’m showing more of insomnia more than anything, I can lay down and not fall asleep for 2 hours while tossing and turning. My sleep has definitely been an issue for the past few months. I would say the most I’ve slept in the last few is probably 6 hours at most.
Get blood tests done. Get your test checked also. You may have an electrolyte imbalance or hormone imbalance. Once your results are in ask to have a copy. Don’t just take the doctors word that “you’re within range” cause you could be on the low end of that range. Normal Testosterone ranges from like 300-1000. If you’re at 300 you’re gonna be feeling like shit. My test was at 350 at one time and the doctor told me im fine. Like bro no im not